2015-2016 New Year's Resolutions

I wrote earlier in my #TMC15 Takeaways post about new things I plan to do in the classroom this year so this is leaning more toward the personal side of teaching.

• I will practice better self-care.
• I looked angry a lot last year and had little patience because I did not have good sleeping habits. Students shouldn't have to deal with my bad choices.
• Drink more water. I'm not letting myself leave school until I've emptied my 60 ounce container.
• Keep exercising. I've been using the Swork It App and the FitBit app to workout, walk, and count calories. I need to feel strong and healthy and model that for students.
• I will better balance my life so that school doesn't take over all of my emotions.
• I will work on looking happier and interacting with students in more positive ways- like 100% high-fiving!
  
• I will practice integrating more technology when needed.
• Last year I printed out Plickers for every students and we NEVER used them all year long. This year I plan to use them and Kahoot within the first week as well as continuing to use Remind and Instagram.
  
• I will practice my mantra of 'letting my pile of good things grow'.
• I will celebrate and acknowledge one good thing with my students on a regular basis.
• I will celebrate and acknowledge my one good thing by blogging.
  
• I will forgive myself for not being a perfect teacher.
• I invest 100% of myself, my time, and my talents. Over time, good things will come from that and grow and grow. I cannot blame myself for not already having 30 years of experience.
• My value as a teacher is based on the impact I have on student lives, not their PARCC and ACT scores.
  
• I will keep learning.
• I will keep asking math questions that I don't know the answers to.
• I will keep reading and learning about my craft.
• I will not let teaching absorb so much of me that I push learning off until the summer.
  
• I will give myself permission to mess up.
• No one will die if I make a bad decision.
• I will value my mistakes and the mistakes of others as a step toward learning.
  
• I will focus on growth over perfection.
• Did I leave my students, my classroom, and my school better than I found them?
• Did try new things?
• Did I fix any previous problems?
• Progress is progress, no matter how small.

I will be more awesome!